A house in Newcastle, Co Galway, has become "like a new embassy" for Lithuanian drug sellers, and it is "very, very serious for Galway", a District Court judge has said.
Judge Mary Fahy said an address at Sylvan Avenue, Newcastle, had been given by countless people from Lithuania who came before her accused of selling drugs. She said questions had been asked about the property, about the tenants and who was paying the rent, but there had been no answers.
Two men from Lithuania, accused of having drugs for sale, were before Judge Fahy yesterday. Garda PJ Noone told the court he was on duty near NUI Galway on January 20th, investigating the supply of heroin.
He said he stopped Vladimir Ceiko, who then began to “swallow bags of heroin”. He asked him to spit them out, the garda said, but he refused. He was arrested and gave his address as Sylvan Avenue.
Arrested
Ceiko said he had been in Galway only four days when he was arrested. He denied he had drugs.
The judge said she accepted the evidence of “the experienced garda from the drugs squad” and noted the address, which was “like a new embassy”. She imposed a nine-month sentence.
“I take it he doesn’t want to give any information about who he’s working for?” she asked.
The defendant shook his head and smiled.
Voronenko Valeriju, who said he had no fixed abode, was convicted of a similar offence, on the same date and jailed for six months.
The judge said it was unfortunate these people were “congregating around the college”. It was “very, very serious for Galway” and for “the parents and students going to Galway”.
“As soon as they are off the street, another batch arrives.”
